2023 Honda HR-V
In a time when automotive manufacturers were allocating more resources to the bustling world of SUVs, the competition was at an all-time high. Honda — one of the most influential vehicle makers in the world — released an SUV called the HR-V in Japan and some European territories and was designed with safety and fuel-efficient engines in mind. The original incarnation of the HR-V didn’t last too long — having been discontinued in 2006 after eight short years on the market. Although a lengthy hiatus followed the original models, the titular SUV returned to the market in 2013, and this time the American market could get in on the fun. With so many changes made over the years, many wonder what the 2023 Honda HR-V offers them.
The key to the success of many vehicles is its starting price, and the Honda HR-V doesn’t disappoint. The 2023 Honda HR-V starts at an MSRP of $23,800 for the base model, named the LX.[a] Shopping for a Honda HR-V isn’t arduous because you only have three available trim levels. Besides the base level LX, the following two trims are the Sport and EX-L. The Sport has several advancements over the LX, such as quality-of-life improvements like heated seats and the ability to start your engine remotely.
The EX-L focuses on luxurious amenities like more comfortable power-adjustable seats and a better infotainment center. Some drivers may not feel as inclined to opt for the pricier models if they don’t need or want the extra features because the LX is a value-packed automobile with benefits like Honda Sensing and an in-depth infotainment center experience. Let's take a deeper look at some of the features that make the 2023 Honda HR-V stand out among its compact SUV competition.
Starting MSRP: $23,800 [a]
Horsepower (hp): 158
Torque (lb-ft): 138
Max Cargo Volume (cu.ft.): 55.1
Safety Features
The 2023 Honda HR-V is one of the safest SUVs on the market, thanks in no small part to the standard integration of the Honda Sensing safety suite. This package comes with an array of safety and driver assistance features to give you total confidence on the road.
The Standard Honda Sensing Safety Features
A host of features come on the base model as part of the Honda Sensing suite, like the collision mitigation braking system. This innovative tool detects collisions before they occur and will apply braking pressure as quickly as possible. Having this safety net goes a long way, and it’s a feature you won’t think about until you find yourself in that situation, and you’ll be glad you have it. The collision mitigation system is broken down into several bits, which includes the forward collision warning that also comes standard on the HR-V. Also coming standard with the HR-V is the adaptive cruise control, which not only holds your speed like traditional cruise control would but can also decelerate and accelerate depending on the distance between yourself and any other driver in front of you.
A feature with the Honda Sensing safety suite you have likely never had in another vehicle is traffic sign recognition. This works by using cameras to detect road signs as you pass them, and the HR-V will intelligently decipher which road sign it is, and it’ll display the contents to you on your dashboard, such as a speed limit or stop sign. Additionally, a road departure mitigation system comes standard with the HR-V, activating a warning if you begin deviating from the road and driving over a marked line.
Other features designed to keep you in your lane are the lane keeping assist system and the lane departure warning. The lane departure warning alerts the driver if they’re departing their lane, and if the driver doesn’t react to the warning and continues to leave their lane, the lane keeping assist system will attempt to correct the vehicle’s position by gently steering it back into its lane.
Other Available Safety Features
Honda includes most of the Honda Sensing features on the base LX model, but opting for either of the two following trims will enhance the suite with a couple of additions, most notably, a blind spot information system with cross traffic monitor. The blind spot information system will initiate on multi-lane roads or the freeway, and if a vehicle is in either blind spot, a light will illuminate on the respective mirror as a visual signal for you to avoid switching lanes at that moment. The cross traffic monitor uses the same sensors to detect if a vehicle is approaching from either direction if in reverse to allow the driver ample time to hit the brakes.
Comfort And Convenience
Compared to other big-name manufacturers, Honda places a strong emphasis on comfort and convenience. As vehicles continue to become more advanced, manufacturers have taken the time to utilize new technologies to make the driver’s life easier. Some of the convenience features in the 2023 HR-V were available or unable to do in some of its less-technological predecessors from ten years prior. An example is a handful of functions available through this Honda SUV's infotainment center.
Infotainment
The standard infotainment center has a 7-inch touchscreen which provides ample size to display your apps without any issue, ensuring sharp and crisp text. However, the 7-inch touchscreen only comes with the LX and Sport, while the EX-L gets a premium 9-inch touchscreen and a host of other convenience features. For example, the EX-L includes a wireless charging pad for your smartphone or any other device capable of Qi charging, which isn’t available on either the LX or Sport.
Wireless Connectivity
The wireless charging pad isn’t the only thing that’s both wireless and convenient — the EX-L’s 9-inch infotainment center includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, whereas the other two trims include the tethered variant that requires a USB cable to be plugged into the infotainment center. Honda has it set up in such a way that lower-tier trims can enjoy features like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and phone charging via the USB ports, but the premium experience allows you to leave the cables at home, making for a cleaner and more minimalistic looking interior, but is convenient too.
Seating and Space
When you think about comfort, the first thing you may think of is sitting or lying down, but a key component to that thought is the quality of the chair you’re sitting on. The Honda HR-V is not only a convenient automobile because of the aforementioned features, but it’s a comfortable experience for those long trips thanks to respectable interior measurements — and of course, the 8-way power-adjustable heated seats.
The 8-way power-adjustable seats come with the EX-L, but you’ll still have heated seats if you purchase the Sport trim. The EX-L’s seats are also made with genuine leather, which blends beautifully with the leather shifter knob and steering wheel you’d get with this trim. It’s also worth mentioning the EX-L has a moonroof, which isn’t a part of the two starting trims. The 2023 HR-V without the moonroof offers 39.4 inches of headroom for the front row and 38 inches for the back. The front row of the 2023 HR-V also gets 41.9 inches of legroom coupled with the ample 37.7 inches of rear-row legroom. You could also consider the available cargo space to be a convenience feature, which the 2023 HR-V has a maximum of 55.1 cu.ft. of cargo space with the back seats folded and 24.4 cu.ft. when they’re not.
Optional Packages And Accessories
Honda is one of the few manufacturers that has streamlined various vehicles in its lineup to where you don’t have to worry about deciding between a wealth of optional packages. With vehicles like the 2023 HR-V, if you want extra features, your best bet would be to move up to the next trim level. The HR-V is unlike many other SUVs because the base model is more feature-packed than some vehicles get on their priciest trims. However, that’s not to say there aren’t plenty of accessories to select from — many of which are for different occasions — all of which are useful.
Interior Protection
Starting with some of the more important accessories for anybody driving an SUV, as they’re likely to be driving with a cabin of people, are all-weather floor mats. There’s no reason you shouldn’t consider all-weather floor mats because no matter the weather, there are always natural elements that can get into your interior, whether it's dirt, sand, or mud. Honda also offers a couple of accessories to keep your interior damage free. Most notably, the available cargo cover and back seat protectors ensure none of the interior materials in the back of the HR-V or the stitching on the back of the rear seats gets damaged from large and unwieldy cargo.
Roof Attachments
The Honda HR-V is a versatile vehicle, and Honda not only markets this SUV to families — but the thrill seekers too. Because of this, Honda offers mounting stations to go on top of your vehicle for a wide range of fun activities. For example, the HR-V can be fitted with roof attachments for snowboards, surfboards, and bikes. The accessories Honda offers for the HR-V help keep the experience in tune with what drivers may be specifically looking for and allows them to personalize their SUV to their wants — not just their needs.
Take Your Driving Experience To The Next Level With The 2023 Honda HR-V
Nowadays, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of dealerships and private online sellers you’ll come across while shopping for a vehicle. You may be wondering which dealership you should visit, but more importantly, you’re asking yourself why you should visit that dealership. At Classic Honda of Midland, we pride ourselves on offering exceptional customer service, along with an extensive selection of new and used Honda vehicles.
At Classic Honda of Midland, we see things differently. If you’re in the market for a new or pre-owned Honda vehicle, need a certified mechanic to repair your vehicle at an on-site service center, or you’re looking for a place to trade in your current vehicle for any reason—we’re the dealership for you. Come visit us today and let us get you behind the wheel of a great vehicle like the 2023 Honda HR-V.